Judas Priest documentary to screen at 2026 Hot Docs Festival

Rob Halford (L) and Ian Hill of Judas Priest perform on stage at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre on October 18, 2025 in Chula Vista, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

The new Judas Priest documentary, The Ballad of Judas Priest, is set to have its Canadian premiere at the 2026 Hot Docs Festival.

The film, co-directed by Sam Dunn and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, chronicles the band’s five-decade career. It includes interviews with the band and previously unpublished footage from their personal archives. It also boasts appearances from fellow rockers Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Jack Black and others.

The film had its world premiere in February at the Berlin International Film Festival, with Morello, Dunn and Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford in attendance. The first clip of the film was shared on YouTube ahead of the Berlin premiere.

"Heavy metal music is the music that made me love music," Morello said at a Berlin press conference, "and Judas Priest are culturally really the creators of heavy metal, co-creators of it musically with Black Sabbath. But as far as a cultural force, creating a community that is metal, that is Judas Priest."

The Hot Docs Festival will be held in Toronto April 23 to May 3. Information on tickets is available online at hotdocs.ca.

(Video includes uncensored profanity.) 

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